It’s all good with the NHL right now**

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Adrian Dater
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December 4, 2009 @ 11:57 am
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[photopress:nhl_1_2.jpg,full,pp_image]

Here’s the latest release from the NHL, where it’s the Goodship Lollypop, with sunny skies forecast from here to eternity and the official theme song is “Zippity-Do-Dah.”

Let’s go through the release here and maybe add some additional commentary, for “clarification”: (I keed, I keed, NHL. You know I love ya).

NEW YORK (December 4, 2009) – After a record-setting season in 2008-09 and an impressive start to 2009-10, the National Hockey League’s strong business performance continues. With the League playing its 400th game of the 2009-10 regular season last night, all national television rightsholders are reporting increases. Additionally, NHL.com is setting new records in multiple areas. Both the NHL Store Powered by Reebok and Shop.NHL.com posted record numbers during the first four days of the holiday shopping season and interest in the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® is soaring.

Among the highlights:

· Through November, NHL® teams played to 91.3% capacity, the second-highest percentage capacity through the comparable number of games in the last four seasons.
*(Denver, Atlanta, Phoenix, Tampa, Florida, Los Angeles, Nashville, NY Islanders, New Jersey and Anaheim not included)

· Through November, 17 teams played to more than 95% capacity at home.
*The other 13? Not so much.

· Through Nov. 30, VERSUS’ average national household coverage rating for NHL games is up 33% percent from the same time period last year.
*We even beat “Real Housewives of Dayton Ohio” one night last week

· In Canada, all NHL national and local rightsholders continue to report viewership increases.
*Because, what else is there to do in Canada?

· Through Nov. 29, local television ratings were up or even for 75% of the U.S.-based NHL teams (18 of 24).
*After all, who can afford to go to a game right now in this economy?

· Unique Visitors to NHL.com for the 2009-10 NHL regular season through November are up 31% compared to the same time frame for the 2008-09 regular season.
*Not as high as “Tigerwoodsnightsout.com” but we digress.

· Video consumption on NHL.com continues to show dramatic increases. Video starts for NHL.com rose 84% in November 2009 compared to November 2008.
*Imagine the numbers we’ll pull when we start the Sean Avery video blog diary soon too!

· NHL.com continues to grow in popularity globally. Countries such as Slovakia (72%) and Russia (41%) saw Unique Visitors grow in November compared to November 2008. Almost 45% of all video starts in November came from outside North America.
*How we turn this into revenue with North American-based advertisers, your guess is as good as ours.

· Subscriptions to NHL GameCenter LIVE™ are up 50% this season compared to the same the same point last season.
*Just don’t ask what the original number was, that was half the current one.

· The NHL’s audience on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms has grown 88% since the beginning of the season.
*If only Sarah Palin would accept our friend request, though, darnit!

· Cyber Monday – Nov. 30 – was the highest grossing sales day ever for Shop.NHL.com with a remarkable 108% sales increase from 2008.
*Must have been that run on Chris Durno No. 45 Colorado jersies. Who knew?

· For the full month of November, sales at the NHL Powered by Reebok Store in New York City were up 32% compared to the same month last year. Overall store sales this year (Jan. – Nov. 2009) have increased 12% from the same time frame in 2008.
*Thankfuly, bailed out Wall Street guys used some of their bonus money from Uncle Sam to shop here.

· The store recorded its largest Black Friday sales figures in its three-year history with a 28% increase in sales compared to 2008.
*When Black Friday comes
I’ll stand down by the door
And catch the grey men when they
Dive from the fourteenth floor
When Black Friday comes
I’ll collect everything I’m owed
And before my friends find out
I’ll be on the road
When Black Friday falls you know it’s got to be
Don’t let it fall on me
When Black Friday comes
I’ll fly down to Muswellbrook
Gonna strike all the big red words
From my little black book
Gonna do just what I please
Gonna wear no socks and shoes
With nothing to do but feed
All the kangaroos
When Black Friday comes I’ll be on that hill
You know I will

· 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic merchandise is setting new sales records. The special jerseys created for the Boston Bruins® and Philadelphia Flyers® were the top-selling NHL Winter Classic items over the holiday weekend both at the NHL Powered by Reebok Store and online.
*After all, who can resist a $100 jersey with a tire company name on it?

· Registrations on NHL.com for an opportunity to purchase tickets to the 2010 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic surpassed 307,000. That eclipsed the number of registrations for last season’s game by more than 25%.
*Who cares if we lied and said it was for Red Sox season tickets at first?

· If each person who registered was given the right to purchase 2 tickets, the NHL could host 15 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic games in Fenway Park and still not meet the ticket demand.
*We know our math here at the NHL. Darn tootin!

· General seating and standing room only tickets are already sold out for the Jan. 8 college hockey doubleheader to be played at Fenway Park.
*Again, we said the Sawx would be playing that day, but so what?

· The recently-announced celebrity/legends charity hockey game on Jan. 2 at Fenway Park has already sold over 25,000 tickets.
*Larry Bird on skates. Wicked!